One of the top 10 travel bloggers on the Web, Robert Schrader, recently wrote a blog about Thailand called, “Why the Thai Coup Terrifies Me.” However, it is not the coup that has him scared, he writes, but rather “the continuation of the media frenzy surrounding it.” - See blog at: http://leaveyourdailyhell.com/2014/06/06/why-the-thai-coup-scares-me/#sthash.xEisLhJO.dpuf He notes that, “Thai people are some of the kindest, calmest, most rational people I have ever met.” … “And yet the entire media … have tried to the cast whole ordeal as transformative not only to the political zeitgeist in Thailand, but to the very character of the Thai people, as if the few, freak gunshots and bombs going off the past several months (I would wager, although I’m not sure, there are more in the United States in a single day) have altered the average Thai person such that it is no longer safe to travel to Thailand.” His fear is that, “the image foreigners have of Thailand and the Thai people will become increasingly based on falsehoods and perhaps, eventually, lead to a general fear of the Kingdom, visiting and doing business there.” He concludes by advising, “The only way to beat the media at their game is to go for yourself and to do your own reporting. If you’re curious as to whether Thailand is safe and are thinking of your own trip there, I offer you the same advice: Go to Thailand, see it for yourself and tell me how scared you are when you come back.” Judging by the comments this blog has received, many readers are in agreement with Robert: “AMAZING. You took the words right out of my mouth. We lived in Khlong Sok for a few months where we were the only white people and had the chance to really get to know what Thai people are all about. Your description is right on the ball.” “These travel warnings in place make no sense. They should refer to the safety situation. Instead I think they are put in place to put pressure on Thailand, which would be a political decision unrelated to the safety situation.” “I'm glad you posted this because now I feel like I might go to Thailand after all.” Robert’s voice is one of many Westerners who know and love Thailand, and are concerned by the international media’s representation of the situation. Those living here, and travelers who have visited Thailand recently, are virtually unanimous in their call for tourists to keep coming, despite what they may read.

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